Rosalina bit her lip as she saw the way Calista was. She had hoped the talk would have helped the woman. Turning to Darius she smiled. "Its ok Dary. I'm feeling better."

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Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Giving Rosalina a soft smile when she said remarked she was feeling better; he still couldn't help but think that she needed to rest. "Just take it easy, love," he whispered to her before kissing her lightly in the lips. Turning his attention from her briefly, Darius knew that he had to try and make it right with Calista. Walking up to where Gareth sat holding the woman in his arms, he lightly touched her on her shoulder. "Calista..." he began but she shuddered at his touch and whimpered softly, clinging to Gareth all the more as her breathing grew more labored.
"You are going to have to let her be," Gareth told Darius, rather annoyed that the progress she seemed to be making with Rosalina was all for naught as soon as Darius stepped in the room. "I know you want to make it right with her, but she needs time to deal with everything. Right now, she is scared of you and you being so near her is only making it worse. So back away before I make you," Gareth warned him. Sighing to himself, Darius nodded and walked back over to Rosalina. Ro was right, he thought ruefully. I never should have pushed her so.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina watched the scene with concern. It broke her heart to see Calista in such a state, the woman had helped so much and been through so much. Rosalina knew she was still at fault, she wished she could help her new friend.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Shhh," Gareth whispered to Calista as he gently rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. He knew her labored breathing was not a good sign, and he wanted to prevent another panic attack. Placing a hand lightly on her cheek he murmured a calming spell to help soothe her. As the spell took its effect, Calista's breathing quieted as she rested her head against his shoulder and stared into nothingness with glazed blue eyes. Sighing sadly, Gareth lightly kissed her brow, hating that he had to cast such a spell on her to calm her, but he feared that he let her remain as agitated as she was, she would give herself a heart attack and die in his arms.
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Lowering his gaze out of shame as he watched the scene, Darius sat on the bed and pulled Rosalina close. "Do not blame yourself, Ro" he whispered. "For I have hurt her more than you ever could," he added softly, regret in his voice.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina leaned into him. "We never should hav come here." she said. "I never should have come. Maybe even never should have left home."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Cradling Calista close, Gareth said nothing more as he just held the rather sedated woman in his arms. He knew that the spell would not last very long but hopefully it would be enough to have calmed her down so that she would not break into hysterics again once the effect wore off.
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"You did what you thought was best. You had to escape that relationship, Ro. It would have killed you if you stayed." Darius replied softly as he gently rubbed her shoulders. "You did not know what would happen. Nor can you undo the past. Do not blame yourself for any of this," he whispered to her again.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"Darius . . . I need some air. I need to take a walk." Roslaina said, she was tired of causing pain.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Darius sighed and nodded at Rosalina's words. He still thought she should be resting but he knew too that he could not force her to. "All right," he said finally, not really liking the idea at all. "Then I will go with you," he said firmly, not wanting anything else to happen to her, or wanting her to get lost in the woods.
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Pressing a light kiss to Calista's forehead, Gareth paid little attention to the conversation between Darius and Rosalina. Right now the only concern on his mind was Calista and her welfare. As he watched her emotionally unravel as the hours wore on, he could not help but wonder and worry if she too would try to take her own life. He could only pray that she would find the will within her to want to live.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"Not this time Dary. I need . . . I need some time alone." She said and got up. "And do not worry. I just plan on walking, nothing else." She said hugging him, then spoke low in his ear. "Please, until I come back, be kind to Calista and Gareth." she said and put on her shoes to go out.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Darius sighed and merely nodded as he returned her hug. "Be careful," he told her softly. "And be sure to mark a trail for yourself with stones or small pebbles," he added, not liking this idea at all. He was not sure if he was going to like being in the house with Calista or Gareth. The woman's outbursts were bound to grate on his nerves and if he did anything, the man would be bound to launch a fullscale magical assault upon him. Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on Rosalina's forehead before she began to put on her shoes.
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As the effects of the spell began to wear off, Calista blinked a few times and let out a soft sigh. "How are you feeling?" Gareth asked her softly as he gently touched her face lightly.
"Better," Calista whispered in a calmer tone as she buried her face against the crook of his neck and just drew in a deep breath as if she just wanted to fill herself with his familiar scent. Smiling slightly, Gareth turned his attention to Rosalina and frowned as he saw her putting on her shoes. "Are you sure this is wise?" Gareth asked her. "You still need to rest," he remarked. Hearing the mage's words, Calista lifted her head from Gareth's neck and frowned slightly at Rosalina. "Where are you going?" she asked her softly, not hearing any of her conversation with Darius.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina gave Calista a smile as she was about to leave the room. "I need some air. So I am taking a walk. And don't worry, that is all." she said and left the room, then the home.

Once she was outside, Rosalina sighed. She started walking off towards the woods. A smile formed on her lips, she grabbed a basket that was by the door. Perhaps while she walked, she could find some berries, healthy, good for the body and soul berries. Or any food of that kind, and when she returned she attempt to make a meal for Calista and the others. She had been feeling horrible, but the thought of doing this act to repay and aplogize made her smile. So with that thought, Rosalina went through the woods.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"But-" Calista began to say but Rosalina left before she had a chance to finish. "Does she know the woods?" Calista asked the two men in the room, not caring who answered her. Darius averted his gaze but said nothing while Gareth just tightened his hold on her. "What if she gets lost?" Calista questioned and was only met with more silence. "Gareth, you showed me the secrets of these woods as a little girl, but Rosalina does not know them," she remarked her voice rising in her hysteria. Not being able to deal with an emotionally unstable woman while his own worries for Rosalina mounted, Darius walked out of the room without saying a word---leaving the mage and his lady to their own affairs.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina sighed again. A habit she was becoming annoyed with. She had found a good deal of berries, she knew the berries from having them back home. So now the basket was full. "Its not right for her to be like this because of me." Rosalina sighed as she sat on log, the basket beside her. "Maybe when I get back. I could help around the home. give her time to rest. Be a proper guest." With that resolve she got up to back the way she came, as Darius suggested, she marked the way, using small strips of her dress hem tied to branches. Just as she was about to step from the log, she saw movent, and a bird flying at her. Crying out, she stumbled back, falling backwards over the log and down the hill. As she fell, her ankle got caught and twisted getting free. She landed at the bottom of the hill, her head hitting a rock knocking her out.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Deciding to wait outside for Rosalina's return, Darius took to pacing within moments. What if something happened to her? When would be a good idea to go and search? If he left to look for her now, there would be no doubt that she would begin to mistrust him. Sighing to himself, Darius planted himself on the grass in the front and kept a sharp eye out for her return.
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After a few minutes of resting in Gareth's arms, Calista shifted and attempted to rise. Helping her stand, Gareth just looked at her with concern as she took a step forward and nearly fell when a sharp pain shot up her left leg from her ankle. Quickly moving to support her, Gareth gently picked her up and sat her down on the bed.
"Calista..." he whispered.
"I think I re-sprained my ankle running to get the herbs," she whispered. "Though it is funny that I should only notice the pain now..." she muttered.
"The chaos of these current events and your own worry probably dulled the pain," Gareth whispered. "Wait here," he told the woman before leaving the room. Gathering a few spare herbs from his room and a fresh cloth to act as a bandage, he quickly made his way back to Darius' and Rosalina's room and walked to Calista.
"Would you allow me to tend to your wound?" he asked.
"Will you let me refuse?" Calista asked him softly.
"No," Gareth remarked with a smirk.
"Then how can I protest?" Calista remarked seriously.
Giving her a smug smile, Gareth knelt before her and after taking off her shoe, removed the bandaged so he could examine her injured ankle.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

It was some time before Rosalina woke, moaning she blinked a few times. "Oh, what happened?" She blinked some more before freezing, everything was dark. At first she thought it was night time, but if that was the case, then surely she would see stars, but all she saw was darkness, black. Fear set in. Standing, Rosalina cried out as she had put weight on her twisted ankle. Unsure of which way to go, she felt for a branch, and using it as a cane, went out, trying to find her way in the dark. "Darius, I should have let you come." she whimpered as she unknowingly became more and more lost.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

During the next few hours, everything and nothing seemed to happen. The first matter Gareth attended to was to treat Calista's ankle. Sighing softly as he placed some sap from the herbs on her ankle, he tenderly re-bandaged it. "Your ankle is swelling again. You will have to stay off of it for awhile," he said softly. Nodding, Calista just flopped back on the bed and turned her head to the side, her gaze falling on the bloody sheets. "I need to clean them," Calista whispered as she sat up and started to hobble to the discarded sheets. "Rose, the chores can wait. You should just relax," Gareth said softly as he quickly got to his feet to support her.
"Please Gareth. I need to do something," Calista whispered as she gazed up to him. Sighing to himself, Gareth merely nodded as she grabbed the sheet before he picked her up and carried her over to the nearby river. Soaking the sheet in the water, Calista scrubbed and scrubbed until she managed to remove most of the stains. Carrying her back to the house about an hour later, Gareth just set her down again as she left the cloth outside to dry.
"Have you seen Rosalina?" Darius asked as he approached the couple. Glancing up at Gareth, Calista merely shook her head though she remained utterly silent, worry in his eyes. Sighing, Darius decided to leave them alone and took to pacing for another hour while Calista sat down upon the grass and Gareth stood at her side. Finally unable to wait any longer, Darius ceased his prowling and turned to Gareth and Calista. "I am going to look for her," he said finally. "I can't shake the feeling that she may be in trouble," he added.
Nodding, Calista rose gingerly to her feet. "Then I am going with you. I grew up around these woods. I know the lay of the land," she said softly. "If you are going, so am I," Gareth remarked to Calista. "I travelled these woods many a time before I came to live here and know the paths well,” he told Darius. Turning to Calista, he then gave her a charming smile. “Moreover, my lady you are not to be walking," Gareth remarked as he swept Calista up in his arms and summoned the wind to carry them. Morphing into his lion form, Darius sniffed the ground to see if could pick up Rosalina's scent.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!